A San Antonio man is in jail. Webb County deputies say he stole a big rig and used it twice to move migrants across South Texas to San Antonio.

Hilario C. Ruelas, 44, is charged with four crimes. Deputies caught him in San Antonio on June 8. They drove him back to Laredo and put him in the Webb County jail on June 11.

The case began May 25. Someone called 911 at the 400 block of El Pico Road in Laredo. The call was about a stolen truck and property damage. Deputies went out and started asking questions.

What they found went way beyond a stolen truck.

Ruelas had taken a truck tractor. That is the cab part of a big rig semi-truck. He then used that stolen truck to move undocumented people north into Texas. Not once. Twice. Both times, he drove them all the way to San Antonio.

Investigators took the case to the Webb County District Attorney's office. The DA looked it over and said yes, there is enough to charge him. Four warrants were signed. One was for criminal mischief. Three were for unauthorized use of a vehicle. Each warrant had a $25,000 bond on it. That adds up to $100,000 total bond.

Deputies tracked Ruelas to San Antonio. They got him on June 8. On June 11, Webb County deputies drove to San Antonio and brought him back to Laredo. He was booked into the Webb County jail that same day.

Laredo is one of the biggest truck crossing points on the entire U.S.-Mexico border. Hundreds of big rigs roll through Laredo every single day. Smugglers know this very well. They hide people and drugs inside trucks and mix into the flow of normal traffic.

Using a stolen truck makes the job a lot harder to trace. The rig is not in the driver's name. There are no records tying him to those trips. That is very likely why Ruelas grabbed a stolen truck instead of using his own.

In Texas, unauthorized use of a vehicle is a state jail felony. That can mean up to two years in a state jail. Ruelas faces three counts of that same charge. The fourth charge is criminal mischief. That one can be a misdemeanor or a felony. It depends on how much damage or loss was caused. Four charges is a lot to face at once in a courtroom.

Webb County Sheriff Martin Cuellar's office ran this case from day one. His deputies took the first call on May 25, dug into the facts, and made the arrest work across two counties.

Ruelas is sitting in the Webb County jail right now. No court date has been set yet. The case is still in early stages.

Deputies are still working to find out how many people were moved on those two trips. They are also checking to see if anyone else helped Ruelas plan or carry out the runs.

Human smuggling is also a federal crime. State charges can lead to federal charges too. It is not clear yet whether federal agents will get involved in this case. But with two trips on the books, that could change.

Smuggling cases like this one are common in Webb County. Laredo has always been a key route for people trying to cross into the U.S. without papers. Criminals see the heavy truck traffic as cover. Deputies and federal agents work together to catch them, but it is a constant fight.

For now, Ruelas waits in the Webb County jail. The courts will decide what comes next.

If you know anything about this case, call the Webb County Sheriff's Office.